Witness
by jc-1225
Summary: Rebecca Kotler. A psycho. This is her journal.
1. Chapter 1

Witness

Summary: Rebecca Kotler. A psycho. This is her journal.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Ring…well I do but it was not my idea or anything like that so don't yell at me

Chapter 1

Wednesday.

I'm Rebecca Kotler. I recently moved into the psychiatric ward in Seattle, Washington. They asked me to start keeping a journal.

It's been four days since Katie died. I was there. I saw it. Katie was talking on the phone to her mom in the kitchen and I went back up to her room. She didn't see me go. It was just a game of hide and seek. Little children play it with their parents. Why couldn't I play a little joke on Katie? Just getting back at her for what she did to me.

I hid under her bed, waiting for her to come find me. I heard her call up the stairs before scurrying up. "Becca, can you hear me?" But I didn't answer. She turned the knob and the door opened. I heard her scream.

I turned to where she was facing. The television had flickered on and it displayed a picture of a well and there was a girl coming toward the screen. Her long dark hair was covering up her face. The girl's hand came through the screen and she walked towards Katie. It startled us both. Katie let out a whimper and she fell backward and backed up towards the wall of the hallway. "Katie…" I whispered, barely able to breathe. I didn't want my last words to her to be, 'Ask her where she keeps the Vicodin.'

After a few minutes the girl dragged her back into the room and put her in the closet. As she passed, I saw her face. It was distorted and discolored. Katie Embry was dead.

I lay there under the bed for hours until Katie's parents got home. Mrs. Embry came in to see if we were asleep like Katie had said we would be. When she saw the dark puddle on the floor, she gave a puzzled look to no one in particular.

I gave a cry and then she noticed me. "Ruth.." She looked down at me and grabbed my hand, pulling me out from under the bed. I glanced at the TV, it was just static.

"Where's Katie?" she asked, after I'd gotten to my feet. My cheeks were stained with tears and my heart broken. I knew in my heart where she was. Did I really have to tell her? That would only make it more true.

I pointed to the closet. "But she's dead…" I bit my lip until it bled.

"Dave, Dave, come in here." Mr. Embry ran in the room. "Open the closet. I can't do it."

"Why? What's…" He opened the door to see Katie huddled up in the far corner of her closet, he face mutated as I'd last seen it. "Oh, my God…" Silence. It killed me. But I wasn't about to speak. Not now. Not a word. "How did this happen?" I shook my head. They wouldn't believe me. No one would.

And I was right about that.

-Becca


	2. Chapter 2

Saturday

I saw a friend of mine the other day. He gave me a gift. He said I might need it and that he bought it for me special because he had one and it helped him mourn for his sister. Elijah had an older sister who was his best friend. She died in a car accident three years ago.

I have a shelf where I keep my books, my hollow books. It is conveniently in the bathroom. I put the gift that Elijah gave me in the closest book to the sink. Today, I needed it.

I walked in the bathroom and shut the door behind me. I opened up the book that was titled XP For Dummies. Inside there was an X-acto knife. Elijah was an artist. But that wasn't why he needed an X-acto. He needed it for the same reason I have one---Elijah was a cutter.

I pushed up my sleeve of my left arm and ran the X-acto across my arm. I clenched my teeth and screamed. Screamed, not because it hurt physically but emotionally. "Why Katie, why? Why did you leave me? I'm sorry, Katie, I'm sorry! I'm sorry I was a bitch! Sorry I played hide and seek! Sorry I called you a ho and a freak! I'm sorry I didn't try to save you!" Tears flowed harder from my eyes.

I looked down at my arm. Cut in blood, it read, "I'm sorry, Katie." I turned on the water and washed away the blood but the cuts still remained. I wrapped my arm in toilet paper from my elbow to my wrist and then covered it up with my sleeve. I washed the blade and dried it before putting it back in my book. Melinda was coming. I could hear her footsteps.

Melinda knocked on the bathroom door. "Becca there's someone here to see you. Are you okay? I heard your screams."

I opened the door. "No, I'm fine. I was just talking to Katie."

"Honey, Katie can't hear you. She's in Heaven now. She's in a better place." They think I did it. Everyone does.

"I know but it makes me feel better to think that she can." She nodded in understanding. Then she took my hand and we went out of the room. There was a screen that was supposed to keep me from getting distracted. She put it on my left and she pulled it and I was just supposed to walk beside it.

I stopped. "Becca? Becca. We're almost there."

There was a room where people were talking. "Summer, actually." "So circle gets that square." "We take a break while you check this out." "This is how you can be a part…" How can they all be so happy? It's depressing.

I looked up and started walking again. Melinda led me into a room and there sat Rachel Keller. Katie's aunt. She works for the Seattle PI. I sat down at the table across from Rachel.

"Do you remember anything about that night? That night with Katie?" I didn't answer. "Do you remember," Rachel paused, "how she died?" Again I didn't say a word. "Becca? She told you about a video tape, didn't she? She was afraid, wasn't she? Something was happening to her. Becca, how did she die? Please, I need to know."

This time I spoke. "And you will. She'll show you."

She put her hand on mine. "Who? Who will show me?"

"Not now." I turned her hand over and pushed her thumb to her palm. "Four days."

After Rachel left, Melinda brought me back to my room. Rachel watched the tape. I could see it in her eyes. She watched it Wednesday. She has four days left.

I walked into the bathroom and pulled up my sleeve. Blood leaked through the paper. It read, "I'm sorry, Katie."

--Becca


	3. Chapter 3

Thursday

Rachel should've died yesterday. Whether she did or not, I'm not sure. I have no proof. But if Katie died then why shouldn't Rachel? If Rachel didn't then why did Katie? It only makes sense that she died.

Melinda came to get me for lunch. On the way to the cafeteria, a boy passed us, he was singing a song. I memorized it and kept walking. I might need it later. When we got to the cafeteria she walked off and let me eat on my own.

I sat by myself. There were others at the table but they were further down. They were talking about me. "She's new." "Eww, look at her." "Someone should go talk to her." "Jimmy, you go." "No way, man, she scares me." They were all around the same age as me.

Someone set a tray down in front of me and sat down. "Hello," it was the boy I saw when I was coming to the cafeteria. "I'm Ryan." I didn't reply, I only stared at him. He was too happy.

"What's wrong with you?" I didn't feel like eating. I wasn't hungry. So I just picked at my salad. I took a few bites just because.

"What do you mean, what's wrong with me?" he looked puzzled.

"You're happy."

"I'm getting out in a few days."

"Oh? My exodus is coming soon as well. But perhaps that's not the same as what you mean." Of course his brain wasn't smart enough to figure out what I was talking about. "That song you were singing, when you were walking down the hallway, what was it?"

"Nothing, just something I heard." I took a few more bites of my salad and then he spoke again. "Hey, you know what else I heard? Someone gave me this video and told me that when you watch it, it'll kill you."

I looked him in the eye. "You haven't watched that tape. Don't."

"Why not? Have you seen it?"

I shook my head. "My friend did. I watched her die. No one believes me about what happened. Don't watch the tape." He nodded and said he wouldn't. Ha. We'll see whether he does or not. Seven days.

My body began to shake. I remembered seeing her face, before she died. My mind's eye remembered the way she looked when she was attacked. I didn't help her. I didn't stop it.

"Becca." I turned to see Melinda. "Let's go." i got up and threw away my half-eaten salad.

"Bye, Becca," Ryan waved.

As I exited the cafeteria I heard one of the others say, "Ryan, what did you say to her?" as if there's something wrong with me. I'm trembling.

When I got back to my room, Melinda left me. I got a piece of paper and wrote down the lyrics to the song. Then I wrote a letter to Melinda.

_If need to leave the world you live in, lay your head down and stay awhile. Though you may not remember dreaming, something waits for you to breathe again._

_Dear Melinda,_

_I'm sorry that you have to be the one to find me. Tell Ryan that I said thank you. And to let you know why I'm doing this, it is because of what I didn't do. I didn't help Katie. I'm sorry, Katie._

_-Rebecca Kotler_

I left it on the table by my bed and went into the bathroom. I reached inside my book for the last time. I took out my X-acto and rolled up my sleeves. I traced the scars where I'd cut before but this time I didn't wash off the blood and I didn't cover it with toilet paper. I didn't put the blade back, I kept it in my right hand.

I climbed up on my bed, my left arm hanging off the edge. I lay on my stomach, my right hand by my hip, clutching the X-acto. I buried my face in my pillow as the tune flowed through my head. Just before all went black, I uttered my last words, "I'm sorry, Katie."

-Becca

……………………………………………………………………………………………….

**The song referred to is part of the song Imaginary by Evanescence. There is one chapter left. I know that Becca shouldn't be able to write this if she is dead but she is writing these last two entrees from her subconsiousness.**


	4. Chapter 4

They had wheeled me out on my hospital bed, not wanting anyone to touch my body. They covered me up but my arm still hung down over the side of the bed. Blood ran down my arm. "I'm sorry, Katie."

I turned and walked away from the place where my body lay only a week before. I walked into the cafeteria where everyone was eating lunch. I walked over to the table and bent over Ryan. "Ryan, it's Becca. Come into the hall so I can talk to you. You can't see me right now but in the hall, I can show myself to you. Come with me."

Ryan got up and walked into the hall. "Ryan, where are you going?" Abby was calling to him.

"Oh, I forgot something. I'll be right back." He turned the corner and saw me standing there. He smiled. "Hi, Becca."

I smiled back. "I just wanted to thank you. I'm a lot happier now than I ever have been. I'm with Katie now."

"Your friend?" I nodded. "That's nice. You do look a lot better, happier too. So, what's it like…to die?"

"The way you showed me? As though you're going to sleep. And when you wake up, you find yourself in a field filled with flowers made of paper and in the purple sky, clouds of candy float. It's so beautiful. I feel like a kid. Someday you'll see."

"Curious…" He looked as though he was thinking. His look was a bit puzzled.

"What? What is it?"

"That's the rest of the song."

Now was my turn to look puzzled. "What is?"

"In my field of paper flowers and candy clouds of lullaby, I lie inside myself for hours and watch my purple sky fly over me." I smiled at him and he smiled back.

"You should come with me. Death has no time. The sun always shines, even in the rain. No sunburns, no paper cuts. Nothing to worry about. Come with me." I held out my arms and he came to hug me. I kissed his cheek. His body fell. "Hey, Ryan, you just died of heart failure," I chuckled. "You have a week, I'll find you." With that, I turned and walked down the hall, singing softly, my voice echoing through the halls.

……………………………………………………………………………………………….

"Hello, Becca."

I turned to see Katie standing behind me. "Katie."

"Are you ready? We won't be coming back."

"I've just got one more thing left to do." I walked up to the coffin. The funeral service was almost over. I bet over Ryan's body and whispered in his ear the song he'd given me. "If you need to leave the world you live in, lay your head down and stay awhile. Though you may not remember dreaming, something waits for you to breathe again." I looked back at Katie, Ryan stood next to her. I ran to catch up to them. "Now, I'm ready."

Katie grabbed my hand, as did Ryan. Then we disappeared and lay in the grass, picking paper flowers and looking up into the purple sky. Things were definitely much happier.


End file.
